A Rose by Any Other Name
by usoverlooked
Summary: /post season one. Artemis deals with the reactions of finally hooking up with Wally West and her own issues with relationships. For Brella


**Author's Notes: **Birthday present to the amazing/stellar/possibly-actually-a-super-hero Brella (Satellites on Parade). I hope you love it and have had an amazing birthday! (also proofread by Dicey/thecivilunrest, so remaining mistakes are mine entirely.)

* * *

Artemis's mother asks her if she has a boyfriend. Artemis scoffs and rolls her eyes and maybe overreacts because her mother smiles and sips her tea like she knows too much.

"Right, right, no time. Well, tell me more about the team then," her mother says simply. But Artemis doesn't know how to explain that it's more than time or lack of interest or patience, but also something she couldn't quite explain. She doesn't like the idea of being someone's 'girlfriend', being claimed by someone like that. It makes her stomach clench.

Artemis isn't exactly sure what reaction she was expecting when Wally and her walk into the training room with their fingers laced together. Zatanna promptly holds out her hand to Robin who fumbles around until he finds a twenty and gives it to her - she won the bet on whether or not they would deny the kiss. Megan just sort of flits about happily, not saying anything like she's afraid she'll ruin it. Artemis is mildly grateful for that. Kaldur nods at the pair, which, for him, is practically throwing a parade. Conner punches Wally in the shoulder congratulatory - Wally assumes that he picked it up from some show Megan forced him to watch. Raquel merely studies the two for a moment.

"Wait, you guys weren't whatever before this?" She motions at the two of them. They shake their heads. "No, I mean like, not even friends with benefits, fuck buddies, secret lovers in the moonlight?"

"He called me a hag and I contemplated shooting his face or penis with an arrow about once a week for a while there," Artemis replies, arching an eyebrow. "We weren't exactly up to fun cuddlytimes."

"Well, now you're glad you didn't shoot his penis," Zatanna says with a grin, and things sort of fall into place from there. Wally makes a comment about her being a little too obsessed with dicks and Robin blushes and Kaldur jumps in to redirect them to training, with an expression somewhere between bemused and annoyed.

After that, they're just Wally & Artemis - same as ever, except not at all. There's no more hiding behind arguments about inconsequential things and avoiding each other. Instead the pair has less arguments, but louder and worse ones. The worst is about how Artemis refuses to call them a couple.

"Why do we have to call it anything? Can't we just, y'know, be?" She argues as she fixes a sandwich in the cave's kitchen.

"It wouldn't be any different if we were a couple who were just 'be'-ing," he counters, chewing his way through a bag of Doritos.

"Don't air-quote at me, Wally. It would be different for me, so just drop it," she saunters off. Twenty minutes later, he finds her and just flops on the beach beside her. They don't mention it again.

Red Arrow is the first outside of the younger team (well and Batman but he doesn't really count) to really say anything about it.

"So how long have you and Wally been…" Roy raises his eyebrows, trailing off. The pair is on a rooftop in Berlin, surveillance for the rest of the team. Roy volunteered to join them, much to the blonde archer's chagrin. Since New Year's, Roy has only been getting moodier and more short-tempered. Wally often joked to Artemis that the problem would resolve itself in about nine months.

"What's it to you?" Artemis counters. "Is my sister checking up on me?"

There's a laugh and she's kicking herself for teasing fate like that. Turning she finds her sister, sitting cross-legged. She steadies a dull-tipped arrow at Cheshire.

"Take a breath, sis. Red invited me, I'm off-duty," she was masked, but Artemis could practically trace the real smirk behind it. "So you and Kid Trip are a dynamic duo? Does Boy Blunder know?"

"I didn't invite you."

"Don't tell dad."

The two archers speak at the same time. Jade leans back, letting them sweat it out for a moment. She's bothered mildly by the fact that she actually cares about both of them. The kid isn't her fault - it's genetics and history and all that damn stuff she can't quite fix. The ginger, on the other hand, is her own fault.

"You told me not to follow you, that's blatantly an invite. Christ, Roy, it's like you don't know me at all," she looks at Artemis. "I won't. He and I aren't exactly copacetic but even if that changes, he won't hear about your boyfriend from me."

Artemis doesn't have time to focus on arguing that Wally isn't her boyfriend really because she's busy yelling at Roy for fraternizing with the enemy.

Her father does find out because of Murphy's Law or his charmed life or her uncharmed one or maybe it's because neither her or Wally have tried very hard to hide it. He attacks Wally on a mission.

"Didn't I teach you anything, Artemis?" He says as he reaches for a crowbar. "These things make you weak. You're with this team for less than a year and you're already slipping up with some stupid boyfriend."

Wally manages to stand and could probably limp away. But Artemis knows he won't because there's this look in his eye that she recognizes. It's that smartass glint that makes her want to smack him most of the time.

"Actually, I'm not her boyfriend. Artemis doesn't really like labels."

Artemis stares at him, a smile growing, before she looses an arrow at her father, catching his shoulder.

They don't talk much on the bioship back, except for Artemis asking him to walk her home. He agrees and they remain silent mostly.

"So why'd you ask me to walk you home?" He asks as they tromp up the stairs of her apartment building. It's not that he doesn't come by her apartment after missions - he does, quite often. It's just that usually he sneaks in her fire escape.

"There's something I have to do, alright?" She pulls her key out of her sock and unlocks the door. "Ma, are you still up?"

Paula rolls into the room, looking mildly groggy but concerned. She tries to stay awake for Artemis on these days, but it's hard. She notices the tall redheaded boy with Artemis and smiles.

"Mom, this is Wally," Artemis exhales a long breath. "He's my boyfriend."


End file.
